


Flower Crowns & Pinkie Promises

by DinoRaptors



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Children, F/M, Fluff, Prologue, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 04:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10632444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinoRaptors/pseuds/DinoRaptors
Summary: A prologue to I'm A Superhero!?Adrian and Chloe meet for the first time





	

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta'd and written a year prior to I'm A Superhero!?

A young Adrien Agreste clutched nervously at the cascading gown his mother decided to wear to Monsieur Bourgeois’ party, burying his face into the soft fabric in order to hide from his current predicament.

Adrien had always been a bit of a sheltered child, a lifestyle forced upon him by his parents which slowly incorporated itself into his everyday habits. He was rarely let out of the house aside from special events or trips relating to his father’s work, and so he wasn’t that experienced in terms of socialness. This didn’t mean he didn’t like to people watch, oh no that was one of his favorite hobbies- to press himself up against the cool glass of his window in either his bedroom or the car, just to get a glimpse of day to day life for normal people, it truly fascinated him- but actually having to **talk** to someone? That was like trying to give a cat a bath, it **never** ended well with him.

He was no more than ten years old around this time, and could still remember the feel of his mother's hand rest against his head and gently comb his hair with her fingers, in order to calm him down. “I’m sorry Monsieur Bourgeois, my boy is very shy.” Gabriel Agreste had let out a nervous chuckle, before cocking an eyebrow at his son, who seemed to be trying to hide **under** the dress now? Madam Agreste let out a slight squeal, covering her mouth with her hand. “Adrien, you’re tickling my legs.” She giggled softly, and he crawled out from his sanctuary to meet her bluebell eyes.

 

“I-I’m sorry..” He grimaced, looking down at the carpet of the hotel they were standing in, before lightly kicking his shoe against the ground. He could hear glasses clinking and the room they were standing in was filled to the brim with laughter and conversation. Normally he’d take the opportunity to indulge in his watchful hobby, but right now he was a mess. He **hated** it. There were too many people for him to feel comfortable, too many eyes to witness how much of a disaster he truly was. His anxiety was making him breathe funny, and he reached out to latch onto his mother’s hand to calm himself down.

“Nonsense, he seems to be a great comedian!” Monsieur Bourgeois’ laugh overpowered the noise of the party, the large man’s eyes crinkling in delight at the sight of the boys’ antics, before taking a sip of his champagne. Adrien perked his head up at that comment, his eyes widening slightly at the statement. _A comedian?_ He thought, his eyebrows knitted together. He could work with that. Anything to break out of this nervous shell, he didn’t want to disappoint his parents any more than he already had. He looked around for something, **anything** , he could use for inspiration, before clearing his throat slightly. “W-What.. What’s the worst thing about having a party in space..?” He asked the man, who seemed slightly startled by the blonde’s sudden confidence to speak, his parents equally as intrigued. “I don’t know, what?” Monsieur Bourgeois asked with a grin, raising his eyebrow. “You have to planet.” Adrien gave a cheeky grin and was met with a very soft, airy laugh that didn’t belong to anyone in the group.

Monsieur Bourgeois was the first to acknowledge the new member, almost giddy to introduce the... child? Adrien’s green eyes locked with the girls’ icy blue ones, a genuine smile plastered on her face as she was still reeling from the silly joke. As she calmed, he took a moment to really look at the other. Her hair was loosely tied up in a high bun, bangs still intact and curling slightly to frame her pale face. She was shorter than him, and her yellow ball gown puffed outwards largely and ended at her ankles. Adorned her feet were white ballet shoes, which complimented the white ribbons and accents that accompanied her dress. What really tied the outfit together though, was the lily flower crown resting atop her head.

He felt his face flush, both in admiration of her confident appearance, and the fact that she actually humored him enough to laugh at his tasteless joke. “This is my daughter, Chloe Bourgeois. Chloe, this is Gabriel’s son, Adrien.” He introduced the two, and she wiped a stray tear from her face from her laughter fit before extending her hand out. “Nice to meet you, Adrien.” There was a long silence and Adrien was freezing up again his body stiffening. Her confidence was intimidating him.

_Come on Agreste, say something!_

“You look like a princess.” Adrien blurted out before his brain could function properly, and it was now Chloe’s turn for her face to light up like a Christmas tree. She seemed a bit stunned before a huge grin plastered her face. “Daddy, I’m going to go dance with Adrikins!” She decided in a matter-of-fact tone, latching onto his hand and dragging him away from the three adults. “Adrikins..? W-Wait, I don’t know how to dance!” He protested as he was dragged, but she only gave him a knowing smile as she weaved her way through the sea of legs, guiding him along until they were out into a quieter hallway. _Wait, what?_ Adrien was rightfully confused, and Chloe seemed to catch onto this. “Papa always throws parties like these so I don’t mind missing out on it, and you seemed like you didn’t like being there.” She shrugged, and Adrien had never been more grateful of someone in his life.

Adrien scratched the back of his neck slightly, before tugging at the collar of the dress shirt his father made him sport, feeling as though it was too tight. It seemed like an eternity before either of them spoke.

“What’s that thing on your head?”  
“You’re really shy, aren’t you?”

They both laughed nervously as they spoke at the same time before he bit his lower lip nervously. “Ladies first..” He gave a small smile, and she tucked her arms behind her back, rocking slightly on the balls of her feet. “You’re really shy.. Why haven’t I seen you around before?” She asked curiously, and he noticeably shrunk away, he didn’t like talking about his home life. It was Chloe’s turn to stutter. “S-Sorry!” She waved her hands in front of her. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t wanna..” she shrugged, before absentmindedly playing with a strand from one of the ribbons on her dress. Once again, grateful Adrien was grateful, which prompted him to feel like she at least deserved some form of an explanation. “I just.. Don’t go out much. Don’t really have any friends.” He hummed, looking anywhere but her gaping expression.

“Adrikins!” _Did she sound hurt? Why had she sounded hurt?_ He finally looked her in the eye and his question was answered. Just the look she was giving him and he could tell. _She could relate_. Many more questions swam around in his head, pursing his lips as he stared.

_Why could she relate? Was she also trapped at home? She's so confident, how could she not have friends? What **is** that thing on her head?_

“Do you want to be friends?” He mustered up the courage to ask and was reciprocated with a tight hug. Touching was not something he was used to, nope. It took him a moment, but he hesitantly hugged back. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!” She seemed so happy, and he couldn’t help but laugh. _Is this how friends acted?_ If so, he was really digging the whole concept. She pulled back, but why was she teary eyed? “Oh jeez, did I do something wrong?” He asked hastily, not wanting to lose the only friend he had. With **his** luck? It was likely. “It just.. I don’t have a lot of friends, not a lot of people like me.” She confided in Adrien, who seemed both shocked and confused. “Why not? You seem great.” He frowned, putting his hands on his hips. Chloe cast her gaze to the side, bunching up her nose as though she was remembering bad memories. “I’m.. mean. And I get mad a lot and take it out on others.” She whispered as though she were sharing her deepest secret. The whole thing felt very intimate, and Adrien felt compelled to share his own troubles.

Placing both his hands on her shoulders, which seemed to grab her attention because her eyes quickly snapped up to meet his, he gave her a warm smile. “Most of the time, I can’t even talk to other people because I’m scared of doing something wrong,” Adrien admitted, the idea of having to be perfect having been embedded into his head at a very young age. Chloe was taken aback, but just for a moment, before returning his smile with one just as radiant. “I want to show you something.” She grinned, before racing down the hallway. Adrien, the confused ray of sunshine that he was, obliviously stood there as she ran away. “Hurry up, Agreste!” She called from behind her, laughing some more and picking up speed.

 _Was that a challenge?_ He narrowed his eyes, his mouth forming a Cheshire grin. One that he was going to **win.**

He took off in the direction she was headed, easily closing in on the advantage he’d apparently given her, the gap now so slim that he could reach out and grab her if he wanted to. Noticing this, she willed herself to move faster, running down stairs and through more rooms until she was in the courtyard. They both collapsed into one of the meadows in the hotel’s garden, each equally out of breath. “I won.” Adrien declared, trying to catch his breath as he held his side. “In your dreams,” Chloe hummed, before pushing herself up. “C’mon, slowpoke.” She said, and with a rustling of leaves, she was gone.

Adrien rolled over to see where she went, but could not see the girl anywhere. “Chloe? Chloe! Chlò!” He called out and audibly shrieked when she popped her head out from a small opening in a hedge. “Crawl in, scaredy-cat.” She teased, and with some grumbling, he followed suit. Suddenly, they were inside the garden maze. “Woah..” He looked around, before dusting himself off a bit and beginning to follow Chloe. “Left, Left, Right and then a Left! Right, Right, Left, Right, Right, Left, Left!” She sang as she skipped, her bun coming undone as she moved and falling into a curly ponytail. Soon they came to the center, where a white, vine-draped gazebo sat waiting for them. “This is my secret place. I come here to hide from daddy when I wanna be alone.” She stated, taking a seat at the table. “This is my secret place, so you better not tell! I’ve never told anyone before, so I’ll know it was you.” She glared, huffing a bit.

He didn’t like that glare, and something told him he didn’t want to be on the reciprocating end of Chloe’s wrath, even if she was smaller than him. He decidedly changed the subject. “What’s on your head?” He asked curiously, leaning on his arm. It's been bugging him, what was it? He eyed it, not paying attention to the range of emotions Chloe was currently going through. First, she thought it was a joke and went to laugh, but then she realized he was serious and raised a brow at him, and then went back to laughing. “Are you serious, Adrikins?” She asked, and noticed he winced at her words. _Does she think I’m an idiot? Is she laughing at me?_ Panic started to settle in his brain, his breathing picking up just slightly. _I want to run but I don’t know how to get out of here.._

She quickly waved her hands in front of her, shaking her head. “That came out rude! Ah.. sometimes I don’t even notice when I’m being mean.” She frowned, and at that point, Adrien understood completely. His filter often shut off on him when he talked, so he could relate to that kind of pain. “It’s fine.” He finally told her, and she seemed to relax. Clearing her throat, she started to explain the crown on her head. “This,” she gestured to the item with her painted nails, “Is a flower crown. I make them a lot because it soothes me.. Do you want one?” She asked with a rushed voice, hoping she didn’t sound so needy, she would just always jump at an opportunity to make such beautiful creations. She played with her fingers nervously as she met his gaze, not quite placing the emotion he displayed until he started to nod furiously.

_My first gift from a friend!_

It didn’t take long to gather the flowers and stuff, and they were soon back at the gazebo, an array of different plants spread out on the table. “So, Adrien..” She started, sucking on her finger lightly when she pricked herself. He glanced up, having been eyeing one of the daisies. “About the secrets we said earlier..” She seemed nervous. There was a moment's silence, and he patiently waited for her to continue. “You said you aren’t good with people.. Yet you’re so nice, and I was wondering, how about we help each other out?” she asked quietly, tugging a strand of her hair slightly. A nervous habit. “What do you mean?” Adrien inquired, cocking his head a bit to emphasize his confusion. “Well, I mean like.. You can help me be a nicer person? And I can help you not act like a shy mess in front of people like you were earlier?” Chloe propositioned, absentmindedly tying specific strands together to keep herself occupied.

Adrien took some offense, but the conversation of filters was still fresh in his mind, so he let it slide. Besides, this is the prospect of having **actual friends!** Not just the ones in the comic books and the fairy tales he read to keep himself occupied, but actually real, breathing, age appropriate friends! He grinned at the idea, nodding profusely.  
“Great! It’s a promise then!” Chloe held out her pinkie, and once again Adrien was stumped. “Is this like a handshake?” He asked, lifting his hand up and taking a hold of her pinkie, using his thumb and index finger to gently give her finger a shake. “Oh my, you have a lot to learn.” She teased, before taking his hand with her free one and having her lock pinkies with him. “It’s a pinkie promise! They last forever you know, so now you’re kinda stuck with me.” She hummed, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Now follow me Adrikins,” She dramatically cleared her throat, sitting up as straight as she could. “I, Chloe Bourgeois, pinkie promise to forever help Adrien Agreste in his quest for friendship!” She giggled, and he sat up straight, copying her. "Uh.. I, Chloe Bourgeios, pinkie promise to-" "No, no, no, no! Stop!" She made an X gesture with her arms, halting his declaration. "You have to say your **own** promise, that's how this works." She explained, and gave him a moment to do his over. Adrien cleared his throat, a bit nervous as he spoke. “I, Adrien Agreste, pinkie promise to forever help Chloe Bourgeois in her quest to become a better person.” He smiled at her.

“Now kneel, O dear knight.” She ordered, and he climbed out of his seat to take a knee in front of her, raising an eyebrow at her silly antics. She took on a comically proper voice, using one of the stray branches from the table to ‘knight’ him, lightly tapping each shoulder. “I dub thee, my new best friend and loyal servant forever. Til’ death does us part.” She fell into a giggle fit, and so did he, before placing the newly-made daisy crown on his head. “I guess I gotta protect you forever now then,” He chuckled; His laughter fell short though when he noticed the sky darkening. “We should get back.” He suggested, and she hopped off the gazebo, dodging the steps, and began to skip back the way they came, smiling to herself.

 

_I, Chloe Bourgeois, pinky promise to protect Adrien Agreste as if my life depended on it._

 

They were both promptly scolded for dirtying their formal clothes as soon as they had gotten back, both fathers looking equally as frustrated. It didn’t help that both Chloe and Adrien were failing horribly to hold back their laughter at getting into trouble together, and his mother was just glad he made a new friend.


End file.
